The HPI E-Firestorm is the first electric 2WD truck to be released
by HPI Racing, and is the product of years of research and the
collected knowledge that has made HPI nitro trucks so successful!
Ready to go right out of the box, the E-Firestorm is factory
pre-assembled and pre-painted, built from tough nitro truck parts
and designed using the latest computer software and engineering
know-how. The E-Firestorm fills the gap that once existed in the
HPI kit line-up, becoming the first-ever HPI electric 2WD truck!
Being the first in a new line of groundbreaking RC kits is never
easy, however HPI designers have taken inspiration from the amazing
Firestorm 10T nitro truck as well as top-level racing trucks.

The design of the E-Firestorm is unheard of
at the price level it will be offered at – previously, there
were only two choices when it came to electric 2WD RTR trucks: very
expensive yet fragile watered-down race trucks, or durable low-cost
trucks with limited performance. The E-Firestorm is the first truck
in this segment to offer tough race-level quality at TRUE
Ready-to-Run prices! You get the handling and performance of the
top racing trucks as well as the durability and value of other RTR
trucks!

The unique chassis of the E-Firestorm is all-new and totally new to
the HPI line-up of kits. It is made from a moulded composite
plastic for high rigidity, and is modularly designed so the front
and rear suspension parts can be removed or added when maintenance
is required. To enhance the durability of the chassis, the interior
is braced longitudinally and the front and rear ends feature extra
bracing to help keep the suspension doing its job. The deeply
upturned sides of the chassis allow the ride height to be set very
low for an off-road truck, but prevent the sides of the chassis
from digging in at extreme suspension angles.

The chassis is designed with a perfectly smooth, countersunk
underside and angled side pods for extra cornering performance. The
heavily braced, modular front end bolts on with four steel hex
screws, providing the optimum amount of kick-up for top off-road
performance. The rear suspension and transmission also mount onto a
single modular place for quick and easy maintenance.

Battery Holder Featuring prominently
in the chassis is the battery which provides all the power to the
motor and steering servo. A large battery compartment allows the
fitting of any standard stick pack or side-by-side pack design,
even the larger 7-cell packs which provide more voltage and power
for huge top speeds! In addition to fitting the industry standard
nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery packs, lithium polymer (LiPo)
and other newer battery designs are able to easily fit in the
chassis, giving the E-Firestorm a unique ‘future-proof’
design. Because it is the heaviest single component of the
E-Firestorm, special consideration was given to the placement of
the battery in the chassis. The battery can be fitted all the way
forward to enhance steering on low-speed race tracks, or fitted all
the way to the rear to give greater traction on larger high-speed
tracks. Removing the battery is simple and quick, with specially
designed self-centring thumbscrews. Normally an expensive option on
race-level 2WD kits, this is a standard feature on the E-Firestorm!
Using thumbscrews instead of the normal body clips to hold in the
battery allows batteries of different sizes to easily fit in the
chassis, regardless of battery thickness.

Battery position all the way to the front

Battery position all the way to the rear

Convenient and safe thumb screws

Motor Mount The rear-mounted motor
provides the best balance for the rear suspension, allowing the
motor to offset the weight of the battery and giving the rear tyres
extra weight for maximum traction on any type of surface. The
placement of the motor also allows new types of brushless motors
easily fit in the chassis, giving you the best opportunity for
insane top speeds!

The sides of the chassis fit the installed HPI RF-1 two channel
narrowband AM receiver and the all-new SC-15 electronic speed
controller (ESC) and all the wires necessary for power and signal
routing. There is plenty of room for adding any optional ESC or
receiver, including large brushless ESCs. The aerial mount is
located right next to the receiver position, ensuring you
won’t have problems getting the wire into the aerial tube.
Another great touch is the convenient ESC plug routing under the
battery – the recessed area makes sure the battery will not
compress or damage the signal wire in any way!

The steering servo gets the same amount of attention, with
‘laydown’ mounting for a low centre of gravity (CG).
The standard and reliable HPI SF-1 servo does the steering duties,
although it’s extremely easy to replace it with a faster or
stronger racing-level servo should you wish. Any standard servo
designed for 1/10th scale vehicles will fit and act as a suitable
replacement.

The rear shock tower is securely mounted to the chassis with four
thick bolts, ensuring it will be as durable as the rest of the
chassis. The thick webbing acts as a convenient wire routing system
for the motor wires as well as providing plenty of strength for the
rear end of the truck.

The entire rear suspension as well as the drivetrain can be removed
from the chassis with just four hex head screws. This makes the
E-Firestorm very easy to work on and maintain!

Securing everything in place on the E-Firestorm is a selection of
high quality steel hex screws and bolts. These are especially tough
and rugged, perfect for a fun racing machine like the E-Firestorm!
The screws on the underside of the chassis are flat head screws to
prevent any excess scraping when the truck slides over jumps or
bottoms out, and tough cap head bolts secure in really important
parts like the shock towers, shocks and other parts.

Finishing off the chassis details are a set of front and rear
adjustable body posts. These may not be as light as non-adjustable
pure racing designs, but it does mean you can use option bodyshells
from HPI and other companies to fully customize your
E-Firestorm!

The E-Firestorm uses the tough suspension design and suspension
geometry from the Firestorm 10T truck for extreme ruggedness and
durability. Extra-long suspension arms are damped by adjustable
shock absorbers, and turnbuckle camber links can be mounted in
multiple locations for fine-tuning of the handling. This makes the
E-Firestorm nimble and easy to handle in all conditions! The
E-Firestorm uses the same front suspension as the nitro Firestorm,
so you know it will be tough and long-lasting. The entire front end
of the nitro Firestorm can actually be removed and bolted right on
the E-Firestorm! This means that not only will spares be easy to
find, but the tough front end parts of the Firestorm are the
standard parts of the E-Firestorm. The rear end of both trucks
share several parts as well, including the hubs, shocks and
turnbuckles.

The shock absorbers are factory-fitted, and are precisely filled
with oil for exceptional handling in turns and cushioning when
landing big jumps. Pure silicone shock oil resists ambient
temperature changes, so you know you’ll get consistent shock
action no matter the conditions at the track. With big coil-over
springs, the shocks are the perfect match to the long suspension
arms! The threaded shock bodies allow fine ride height adjustments
to suit driving on rough or smooth surfaces.

Threaded shocks for easy and precise ride-height adjustment

Optional mounting points are provided on the suspension
arms...

...and on the shock towers for quick and easy suspension
tuning

Hubs and Steering Knuckles The front
hubs and steering knuckles, plus the rear uprights, are moulded
from tough nylon to take any sort of punishment you can dish out.
The optional camber link locations on the hubs and uprights also
give you extra tuning opportunities at the track. The front hubs
feature alloy steel axles that spin on high-quality rubber sealed
ball bearings for optimum efficiency. The alloy steel is extremely
strong to take the abuse of rough landings and the occasional
crash. The way the axle is mounted in the steering knuckle allows
the best steering action possible, giving you maximum steering
input and direct feedback through the tight and twisty sections of
the racetrack! The front and rear wheels use HPI 12mm 'step' type
aluminium hex adapters, making them extremely strong and damage-
resistant. Because the front wheel bearings fit into the steering
knuckle and directly support the axle, the wheels are extremely
easy to swap out to suit changing track conditions. You can also
use any HPI rear wheels you have in your collection already, so any
wheels you have from a Nitro MT or other HPI 4WD truck will fit on
the front OR rear!

Adjustable Turnbuckles Steel
turnbuckle camber links allow you to make tuning adjustments while
the links are on the truck, so tuning is quick and very easy to do.
You also have the option of different mounting points for the
turnbuckles as well, with two inner and two outer mounting
positions for each camber link, giving you the ability to change
the suspension geometry to suit track conditions and your own
unique driving style. The steering links also use adjustable steel
turnbuckles, allowing you to quickly change the front toe setting
for lighter or more aggressive steering. Optional Ackerman holes on
the steering arms give you further adjustment and the ability to
further alter the steering action.

'Captured' Hinge
Pins The suspension pins use a
‘captured’ design to isolate the suspension from the
chassis, with the added benefit of using no ‘e-clips’,
making routine maintenance simple to accomplish. The front hinge
pins feature a tough aluminium brace to prevent bending or
suspension arm damage. The rear hinge pin mounts are also
interchangeable with option mounts, which allow you to alter the
rear toe setting to give you more forward traction or more grip in
the corners.

Adjustable Wheelbase Providing just a
bit more race-level tuning ability is the adjustable wheelbase,
which pro racers use to fine-tune the weight balance of their
trucks. This affects steering action, acceleration and grip, and
can be an important tuning adjustment.

High-Grip Tyres To get maximum
performance on and off the track, the E-Firestorm uses the same
tyres as the groundbreaking Firestorm 10T: Front Line asymmetric
ribbed front tyres and Ground Assault medium pin rear tyres. This
combination of precise control and massive traction gives you
ultimate control and speed!

Front:
Front Line asymmetric ribbed

Rear:
Ground Assault medium pin

Servo Saver Finally, a tough
adjustable servo saver protects the steering servo from any
accidents, and is perfect for keeping the HPI SF-1 servo out of
trouble.

Gear Box A tough plastic 87-tooth
spur gear is driven by the motor’s 20-tooth pinion gear,
providing a great balance between initial acceleration and top
speed. Protecting the spur gear and transmission is an adjustable
dual-pad slipper clutch, a feature normally seen on race-prepared
racing trucks and buggies!

A tough nylon spur gear cover protects the gears from rocks and
dirt, and features a removable rubber plug for adjusting the
slipper clutch with a standard size hex wrench, which is supplied.
The motor and spur gear cover mount onto a black aluminium plate
for increased cooling and secure support.

Getting the power to the rear wheels is a durable low-profile gear
transmission that features all-metal gears for extra toughness! The
gearbox uses a 2.6 to 1 gear ratio to enhance traction and
efficiency in all conditions. Directly driving the driveshafts is a
sealed planetary gear differential, giving you exemplary corner
grip as well as longevity and minimal maintenance. The low profile
transmission enhances the E-Firestorm’s centre of gravity,
keeping the handling tight and tidy! Tight like a tiger!

To drive the rear wheels, dogbone driveshafts are used, which are
an efficient and simple way to get power to the rear axles.

For extra efficiency, all the components of the drivetrain, from
the spur gear to the wheel axles, spin on rubber-sealed ball
bearings. With these bearings you get long runtimes and long engine
life while the rubber seals keep out dust and grime!

The
reliable and sturdy HPI TF-1 radio controls the E-Firestorm, giving
you ultimate control in a realistically designed radio! The
steering wheel design makes you feel as if you’re actually
driving the truck, and the trigger-style throttle and brake
controls provide you with finger-sensitive action when accelerating
and stopping!The radio transmitter features interchangeable
frequency crystals, servo reverse switches, a retractable aerial
with sliding cover, easy access to radio adjustments and simple
battery replacement.

Taking the signals from the transmitter,
the HPI RF-1 receiver uses standard RC connectors to send your
control signals to the SF-1 steering servo, which controls the
steering, and the forward/reverse SC-15 speed controller, which
handles the throttle, brake and reverse commands to the Firebolt
15-turn motor. You get long-range, reliable connections between
your transmitter and car with the RF-1 and dependable control from
the SF-1 and SC-15!

Because all of the electronics are standard-size RC components with
standardized connectors, any or all of the components can be
upgraded at any time, or moved into a different RC vehicle in the
future. The E-Firestorm will accept any standard 540-size motor,
and also any RC battery pack, of either stick pack or side-by-side
design.

15-Turn Firebolt Motor Giving the
E-Firestorm the ability to get over and around anything is 15-turn
motor, the HPI Firebolt! This fixed-endbell motor has the grunt and
power to give the E-Firestorm plenty of acceleration and high top
speeds! With standard ‘bullet’ connectors, the Firebolt
can work with any electronic speed controller or can be replaced by
a faster motor to give you even more speed and torque.

Finishing off the E-Firestorm is an all-new DSX-2 sleek racing
body! Pre-painted in flashy racing colours, it will definitely look
the part at any race track! It is pre-cut and pre-drilled so there
is absolutely no preparation time required, just fit it on and
go!

With the black Scorch 6-spoke wheels, the E-Firestorm looks like
it’s ready to take on anything! These tough, durable nylon
wheels can take the punishment of any off-road track and just keep
coming back for more! Wrapped with the Front Line and Ground
Assault tyres, the E-Firestorm has grip and traction for any type
of off-road surface!